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Subject:Engine quite, restart after <>10 minutes
From:Ray Brubaker
Date:Sat, 10 Aug 2019 12:33:53 -0400

Hi, Thanks for this great list. I have read it regularly for years but
don't recall reading about what just happened to be me. I have a '89 Blue
Star auto  original 2.1. I drove to the airport, 25 mi, to pickup my son
and family. Returning with a full load, 8 people, ( I modified to use the
two seat slide in middle seat with one rear facing seat at the door)
youngest grandchild is 15, and a full load of luggage. Had gotten off the
express way after cruising at 70 for about 15 min. and was in stop and go
traffic for another 15 min. when I stopped at a red light. The engine came
to idle then sputtered a few times and quite. Cranking, it would sputter a
few times but wouldn't start. Pushed it into a median. Unloaded the back,
checked the engine, found nothing amiss, checked that the fuel pump was
working normally, tank was 3/4 full (tank was new about a year ago). We
were running with AC on, temp was in mid range, not overheated. After about
10 min. I was able to get it to start and got going again. Slipped it into
neutral and kept it revved a little at every stop but it still quite the
same way in about 10 min. This time I felt the fuel pump while my son
cranked the engine and thought I felt and heard something that may have
been cavitation. Again after about 10 min. it started and we drove home,
about 15 min., with no incident ( I left the AC off). Yesterday I checked
fuel pressure, 33 psi with vac connected, 39 with it disconnected, normal.
Checked leak-down, normal, about 1 psi in a half hour.

It seems like it is fuel related. To me it acted like vapor lock but that
shouldn't happen to a running injected engine.

Thanks for any thought on this problem,

Ray

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